Wireless Device Monitors Oxygen Levels Remotely

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 06 Feb 2020
A novel sensing platform provides continuous, real-time monitoring of tissue oxygen in patients with potential acute and/or chronic changes in tissue oxygen levels.

The Profusa (Emeryville, CA, USA) Wireless Lumee Oxygen platform consists of a tiny biosensor injected in the upper arm, shoulder, or leg for continuous and long-term monitoring of oxygen in subcutaneous tissue; and a low profile, lightweight wireless optical reader that adheres to the skin, which reads the fluorescent signal from the biosensor and transmits the data to a tablet, which displays real-time data visualization using the proprietary Lumee app. The data monitored includes changes in oxygen levels, comparison of the patient's current data with historical data from a clinical registry study, and a data report.

Image: The wireless Lumee optical reader (Photo courtesy of Profusa)

The data outputs allow physicians to monitor compromised tissue in conditions such as peripheral artery disease (PAD) and critical limb ischemia (CLI), as well as to compare a patient's oxygen levels before, during, and after an endovascular procedure. In contrast to external pulse oximeters, which measure oxygen bound to the hemoglobin in larger blood vessels, it measures dissolved oxygen at the tissue level in interstitial fluid. The Lumee Oxygen Platform has received the Conformité Européenne (CE) Mark of approval.

“The more comprehensive and detailed we can make our data, the better we are able to help people living with peripheral artery disease and other serious conditions in which blood flow to the limbs is impeded,” said Ben Hwang, PhD, chairman and CEO of Profusa. “We designed the Wireless Lumee Oxygen Platform to be small and wearable in order to increase its uptake and use. We believe that the Wireless Lumee Oxygen Platform will especially help realize the promise of remote patient monitoring and digital health applications.”

The Profusa biosensor is approximately 5 mm long and 500 microns in diameter, made of a soft, flexible fiber that mimics the 3D microenvironment of cells, helping it overcome local inflammation or rejection. The biosensor contains a smart gel that is linked to a light-emitting molecule; once excited by the optical reader, it emits a fluorescent light that is proportional to the amount of oxygen measured.

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